Expert Lighting Design Secrets

A professional designer turns us on to the 10 most important things to know when lighting rooms and art

Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.

Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More

Erik Thompson of Quatro Lighting Designs is an expert in how to show your home in the right light. Planning lighting for your entire house or even one room can be an overwhelming task, and hiring a lighting designer is the easiest solution. But if you're on a tight budget, this may not be possible. So Thompson has generously offered up some of his top lighting advice.His number-one piece of advice is to plan ahead, as often lighting comes up after you've run through your budget. "No matter how many beautiful items you've bought for your home, without proper illumination you are left in the dark," says Thompson. "Proper lightingdesign can make a project successful." If you can afford a lighting designer, Thompson recommends checking out the designer's portfolio and finding one that suits your personal style. This way, you'll trust him or her, keep an open mind, and be able to relax and leave yourself in his or her hands. Finally, make sure to prioritize the functions you'll need from your lighting scheme for different times of day and night and different purposes.

"Lighting is not just about ambience or properly lighting an area, but about how you can make these areas come to life," explains Thompson. Light bounces off the art and reflective wall coverings in this hallway, enhancing its golden hues.

1. Dim it. A dimmer is a must-have for setting a mood, says Thompson, giving you control over the use of light.

2. Do art lighting right. This can be one of the trickiest tasks to try on your own. "There are many different techniques for lighting art and thousands of fixtures to choose from," says Thompson. "Decide which fixture is most appealing for the room and the art, whether it’s track lighting, recessed lighting, mono points or floor lamps."

"You need to ask yourself what degree of lamp will better suit the art, and the color temperature is very important," he says. This makes all the difference in the art-lighting world."

"Please remember you do not want flashy lighting for your art; the more your art lighting blends into the environment of your home, the better. We are lighting the art, not arting the light," Thompson says.

In this room, the antler chandelier clears the artwork and is well placed in relation to where the ceiling meets the wall. The library sconces not only are well placed for the function of reading in bed, but they also frame the artwork and pick up on the black in the painting.

4. Light for night and day. "A well-designed and well-built fixture is more like a work of art than a simple light to turn on when it gets dark," Thompson says. This means choosing a statement piece that will inspire conversation.

"In a nutshell, choose a fixture that is appealing to your eyes even with the light off," he says.

6. Set multiple scenes. "When designing your lighting layout, you always want to set multiple scenes by integrating the use of concealed light sources and integrating lighting controls for setting different moods," says Thompson.

In this open floor plan, the chef can have bright light for cooking. Kids doing homework at the counter can have ample reading light as well, and those in the living area can enjoy more intimate dim light while admiring the art lighting on that big piece on the wall.

7. Use color. "Color can be amazing when used in the right location, so keep an open mind about it," says Thompson. "For instance, highlighting a wall, using cove lighting in a bar area or theater, or placing halo lighting around art sculptures or bookshelves can pack just the right punch of color."

This spiral staircase takes on a futuristic look when illuminated by indigo lights at night.

8. Consider energy efficiency. Thompson recently saved a sports lounge client more than $7,000 by replacing the spec architectural fixtures with energy-efficient LED pendants. This savings more than covered Thompson's design fee, another reason hiring a lighting designer is worth every penny.

9. Customize on a budget. "To have a custom piece, you don't have to always pay a high price," says Thompson. "Customizing can be something as simple as changing lengths, using Edison bulbs in a contemporary fixture or using LEDs in a bubble light." The last suggestion will change the light tone from the usual yellow to bright white.

In the case of this droplet chandelier, Thompson rewired the entire fixture with fiber optics, enhancing the look and saving his client thousands of dollars (a custom fiber optic fixture like this runs much more than the original fixture and Thompson's customization costs added together).

In case you were wondering, this fixture is now 18 feet long. Take a look at what the original light looked like before customization.

10. Combine different types of fixtures. Mix and match fixtures that work well together. Here translucent ombré pendants over the kitchen island work well with the fabric-covered drum shade over the kitchen table. Each area has a different feel and thus needs its own unique lighting. You don't need to be concerned with everything matching within an open space; similarity in shape, color or finish can be enough to tie different fixtures together.

After chatting with Erik, I feel that if I were building new, I might design the lighting for a small bedroom or powder room on my own, but I'd definitely hire a lighting designer for large open spaces, the kitchen, hallways and art.

I'm still not sold on LEDs. Their color rendering capabilities are still inferior to halogen, lifetime is still unproven, and cost about 10 times what I'm using. I'm sticking with SoLux. Can all these museums I copied from their website be wrong?

We are underpinning a basement to 8' height. There will be one large window with window well in the front of the house, but not much natural light through the rest.
I'm hoping for a french or belgian farmhouse rustic look and want to keep the ceiling joists exposed - painted white. Wide plank, barnboard-look flooring.
Can anyone suggest lighting options for ambient, accent and decorative lighting in this kind of situation?
Potlights are out, I imagine, as they would be in the shadow of each rafter/joist among the logistics of not being able to embed them.
What do others feel is most suitable for "the look" I'm trying to achieve?
Any suggestions are welcome and most appreciated!
Thanks